


A Childish Yearning

by Lumeleo



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 07:19:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18734275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumeleo/pseuds/Lumeleo
Summary: Stannis hasn't been feeling well since Davos left on a mission. He should be getting better once Davos is back, yet it seems things are getting even more complicated.





	A Childish Yearning

**Author's Note:**

> Basically an AU where Robert got out of the way much earlier so Stannis is dealing with both being a king and tween Renly because I say so.

Davos has been gone for three months now, and it has been two months too long for Stannis.

He’s not entirely sure why he is so bothered, really. It is hardly the first time Davos has been away on a mission, and it will certainly not be the last. However, never before has Stannis felt his absence so keenly or yearned his return so deeply. It is an unacceptable weakness, and no doubt one Davos himself would frown at. A Hand who cannot leave his king’s side is not of much use, after all, and Davos is nothing if not practical and dutiful.

Stannis lies awake in his bed and feels alone in a way he hasn’t in years. Which is patently absurd, really, it’s not like Davos shares his bed every night or even most nights when he is actually around, yet the mere knowledge his company is not even an option in this moment wounds him like a blade.

He tries to distract himself, sometimes, when the pain of separation is truly unbearable. Clearly he has grown too used to having Davos by his side, though, as he finds his own hand does not compare to his Hand.

He is not sure if the absence of Davos or his poor rest that makes his temper flare more frequently, or perhaps some unholy combination of the two. All he knows is that he has been more tired than even his sleepless hours would rightly warrant, his patience growing shorter by the day. Even Renly has noticed his bad moods, for all that Stannis tries to shield him from them.

Besides sleep, his appetite is also suffering. Stannis makes himself eat, knowing he needs to do so or he will be useless at his duties, but he can find no pleasure in it. Even his usual favorites leave him cold, poking at his plate long after he should have finished his meal. Mornings are the worst, to the point where he can barely force himself to break his fast.

The one food Stannis finds himself enjoying, even craving at times, is onions. However, he only lets himself indulge at times, not the least because Renly smirks at him whenever he notices. It is nothing to do with Davos or missing him, Stannis assures both Renly and himself. The taste of onions simply reminds him of the near divine relief of finally getting his stomach full after living in fear of starvation. The fact that Davos is irrevocably intertwined with that memory is surely only incidental.

Sometimes when his longing for Davos keeps him awake despite his exhaustion Stannis can’t even stay in bed. Instead he finds himself wandering to the window, gazing out to the sea as though hoping to catch a glimpse of Davos returning. He knows that isn’t possible, Davos isn’t due to return yet and even if he were, Stannis could hardly see his ship in the darkness. Even so, the idea of seeing the familiar ship approach does settle his wandering mind a little, until he manages to fall asleep at last.

His slumber is still restless and his bed cold and empty, but at least he dreams of Davos for a little while.

*

It is not Stannis who sees the ship arrive in the end, and certainly not in the dead of night. He is in the middle of his daily duties, dealing with the apparently endless amounts of paperwork and bureaucracy that come with ruling a kingdom. The servant who approaches him looks hesitant, and perhaps he has been even less patient than usual today. Even so, the servant waited for Stannis to acknowledge before speaking.

“Your Grace?” The servant fidgets for a second before continuing. “Word from the port is that Ser Davos is approaching.”

It takes far too much effort to hold himself back, but Stannis manages to stay calm. There would be no benefit to him rushing to the port himself, and it would be rather unseemly to do so anyway. Gathering his composure, he nods in response. “Have him brought to see me as soon as he arrives.”

“Very well, Your Grace.” The servant bows, then leaves with a look of relief. Well, hopefully Stannis will find some relief to his temper problems once he has Davos by his side again. Not that he would ever admit that is even a factor. Never mind everyone else, Davos himself would no doubt frown at his ridiculous thoughts.

Stannis tries to keep working, but his mind is hardly in it, leaving him doing little more than staring at the papers with unseeing eyes. He is not quite aware of the time that passes, not sure how long he spends lost in his thoughts. It isn’t until the door opens again that he snaps back to the present moment, barely able to contain his delight as he sees the familiar form enter.

“Your Grace.” Davos has clearly come straight from the port, with that slight swagger that is more at home on the deck of a ship than on solid ground. “I return successful.”

“As I knew you would.” Stannis stands up, intending to greet Davos halfway. Instead he finds a shadow obscuring his vision, remembers rather too late that he has barely eaten all day. He reaches for the back of his chair for support, hears more than sees Davos crossing the room in a number of strides rather impressive for someone of his stature.

The next thing Stannis knows he is lying in a bed, being fussed over by a maester. Davos is standing in the background, a concerned look on his face. As he sees Stannis open his eyes, though, Davos rushes forward, halting just short of reaching out for him.

“Sire. Are you not well?”

Stannis bites back a sharp response on how he obviously is not, has no desire to take out his annoyance at his own weakness on the one man who bears no blame in it. “I am fine,” he manages instead, ignores the disbelieving gazes both men give him at the assertion. “I merely have not eaten too well.”

“You should take better care of yourself, Sire.” Davos frowns at him, shaking his head. “I cannot always be around to deliver my onions to you at the last moment.”

“I did manage to survive before you came into my service, you realize.” Stannis shakes his head, but even that little motion threatens him with dizziness again. He likes to think he hides it soon enough, but knowing Davos, he has been noticed. “A hearty meal and a good night’s rest, and I will be fine.” And perhaps now that Davos is back, he can actually accomplish such things.

“Actually, I believe this may be more serious than that.” The maester looks startled at the speed Davos turns his gaze to the man, but recovers soon enough. Now that Stannis is paying attention, the maester seems to have been poking around his stomach of all things. “Your Grace… are you aware of any history of male bearers in your line?”

This time Stannis is the one left staring. It takes him a moment to regain his voice, though it is still less firm than he would like. “Surely you jest.”

“I do not, sire.” The maester shakes his head, his expression nothing but seriousness. “Several months along, for me to be able to feel the babe from without. It would certainly explain any difficulty you may have had with your appetite and getting enough rest.”

“Either way, that is patently absurd.” Stannis keeps his eyes on the maester, not able to look at Davos right now. “There is naught wrong with me but a lack of rest and food. Once I’ve had those, I will be right as rain.”

“I am quite confident in my assessment, sire.” Despite his insistence, the maester steps back. “A meal and rest will no doubt make you feel better either way. I can prepare a draught if you have trouble sleeping.”

“That would be good.” Stannis sighs, collecting himself enough to sit up without being hit by another wave of dizziness. “Davos? I would like to hear any news you have to share.”

“Certainly, sire.” Davos nods, some concern still audible in his voice but mostly recovered. “I can do so while you eat, so there is no need for delay.”

Stannis finally turns to look at Davos directly in the eye. His Hand meets his gaze with perfect calm, as though he didn’t just try to turn Stannis’s own words against him, as though the maester didn’t just claim something entirely impossible that would change both of their lives if it were true. Davos ignores all that, reaching out a hand to him.

After a moment Stannis sighs and takes the offered hand, allowing Davos to help him to his feet. It is a smaller blow to his pride than collapsing again, anyway.

Davos holds on, strong and steady, and Stannis has missed him so.

*

Perhaps denial isn’t the best way to address the matter, but for the time being, it is the only approach Stannis can bear to take.

He is feeling much better now, anyway, no doubt because Davos fusses over him constantly. Davos seems to take personal affront at the idea that Stannis has been lacking proper care, and goes out of his way to make sure Stannis has regular meals and adequate rest. It is really quite unnecessary and Stannis tells him as much, for all that he is not going to voice his suspicions that it is Davos’s mere presence that has helped him improve without any need for further attention. Still, it tends to be less trouble to go along with it than try to argue, so as long as Davos is taking care of his actual duties and doesn’t get in the way of Stannis doing his own part, he supposes there is no harm to it.

Thankfully Davos does not address the maester’s ridiculous suspicions after that terrible first day, and Stannis Is quite concent to leave such thoughts forgotten. He has no time to concern himself with such things, particularly when he still does not believe there to be any truth to it.

However much he might want to deny it, though, he can’t help touching his middle one late night, wondering. His stomach is growing, there is no denying that, though for the time being he can still hide the bulge under his clothes. If this continues, though, people will notice, and they will start rumors regardless of whether there was any truth to it. Perhaps he is just gaining weight, between Davos fussing over him and his appetite returning little by little. That is surely a more likely explanation than —

Stannis freezes, barely daring to breathe. Surely he merely imagined that, there is no possible way he could have felt that. Not like this, not so clearly.

He feels it again. A brief flutter, like the wing of a bird brushing barely against his skin, except this sensation is coming from inside him. There is something inside him, something alive, and that something is reaching out to him.

The maester was right. Davos has put a baby in him.

For all the time that Stannis has spent denying the thought, now that he had actual proof it all settles in place almost too easily. It is clearly the best way for him to get an heir, for all that he didn’t know it was possible before. If he is the one bearing the child, nobody can dispute the bloodline, nor will he have to concern himself with finding a suitable spouse for such purposes. Besides, an heir sired by Davos will no doubt be strong and smart, more than suitable to succeed the line of Baratheon.

As he drifts off, it is to surprisingly sweet dreams.

*

“We need to get married.”

Davos blinks, looking up from the ship diagram he had been studying. “Sire?”

“You and I. We need to marry.” Stannis sighs, resting a hand on his belly. It is growing rounder still, and denial will not help him any longer. “The babe is clearly my heir no matter what, but it would still be best to take care of the legitimacy issue either way.”

Davos frowns, his expression somewhat confused. “Surely there are more appropriate candidates.”

“You are the sire of the babe. That alone makes you the best candidate.” Stannis shakes his head. “Besides, I know I can trust you and get along with you, which are rather important qualities in a consort.”

“Perhaps, but I would think noble blood is the most important.” Davos doesn’t look at him, now, eyes turned down to the diagram.

“You are a knight, and Hand of the King. Your blood is noble regardless of whether you inherited it as such.” Stannis lifts his eyebrows. “Are you trying to refuse?”

“You know I will do whatever you require of me.” Davos glances at him again, looking almost shy, but then smirks. “If you wish to make it clear to everyone just who warms your bed, far it be from me to tell you no.” Stannis snorts. “If it were just the warmth of my bed that I was concerned about, I would seek out a more impressive frame.”

Davos shakes his head in mock affront. “I will do all I can for you, Sire, but growing taller is not within my ability.”

They continue working in more or less comfortable silence after that, with the shared understanding that marriage will happen. That settles the matter, and truly, Stannis should feel nothing but satisfied.

For some reason, though, there is a whole new kind of unease knotted up in his chest, one that he cannot name.

*

“Hey, Stannis?” Renly is staring at him over the breakfast table with a curious look. “What’s marital duties mean?”

Stannis is proud of himself for not choking on his wine, managing to swallow it down without even coughing. “Why would you ask that?”

“I heard some servants talking about how you’re going to marry Ser Davos. They said since he’s good with his duties, it’s going to be the same for marital duties too.” Renly tilts his head, and Stannis honestly can’t tell if he is actually curious or teasing. “So, what’s that mean?”

“It means you should not listen to such gossip.” Though really, Renly is growing closer to manhood, and at some point, he should know about such realities. However, Stannis does not plan on explaining them over the breakfast table. “Davos is a reliable and loyal knight. I have no doubt he will be just as reliable as a husband and a father.”

Renly’s words nag him through the day, though, until he suddenly realizes why he is so bothered. As luck would have it, the realization hits him while he is speaking with Davos, halting him mid-sentence.

“Something the matter?” Davos looks at him with a puzzled look.

Stannis draws a deep breath. “I don’t want you to marry me just because I say so.”

“Pardon?” Davos frowns with a confused look. “I thought you were the one wishing for that to happen.”

“I do. However, I do not want that to be just another duty for you to perform.” Stannis sighs, trying to find the words to explain himself. “You serve me well, and I have never had any complaints of that. However, I cannot bear the thought that you would become my consort out of duty. I was born with the expectation of a sensible marriage and the need for an heir. That does not mean I would deny you the choice of who to share your life with.”

“…Sire.” Davos is right in front of him all of a sudden, reaching for Stannis. Davos takes his hands, grip soft and warm. “I am happy to marry you. Not just because I can serve you in another way, but because I want to stand by your side no matter what. I am nothing but delighted to be your consort and the father of our child. It just never occurred to me I might have that chance.”

“Truly?” Not that he has any reason to think Davos would lie to him, but right now, he needs the reassurance. “You are not simply saying that to calm me?”

“Please.” Davos squeezes his hands, lips twitching. “Do you think I shared your bed merely out of a sense of duty?”

“Ah.” Stannis fights down a blush. “That is not what I meant.”

“Well, let me assure you that is not the case.” Davos lifts one of Stannis’s hands to his lips. “I am loyal to you, and so will remain. I will fight and sail, live and die at your command. But sharing your pleasure, even affection? That is for my sake as much as yours.”

“And if that changes? If you grow tired of me as I grow fat and slow?”

“You mean, as you grow heavy with a child, with my child at that?” Davos lifts his face to look at Stannis with a grin. “I promise that only makes me all the more eager for you.”

“Is that so.” Stannis meets Davos’s eyes in a challenging stare.

“I would not lie to you, Sire. Certainly not about this.”

“Then prove it.” Perhaps it is a childish demand, but right now, Stannis needs this. “If indeed you are so eager for me, it should not be a hardship to make good on your word.”

As always, Davos goes above and beyond to serve him.

*

Stannis is awake.

He should not be, not so late in the night, certainly not when he has plenty of work the next day, and he always has plenty of work. Regardless, he finds himself lying awake at night once again, gazing up to the ceiling.

It is not his longing for Davos that keeps him awake, no sorrow or doubt or uncertainty. He is content for the moment, safe and warm and secure, and Davos is lying right there by his side. His presence rather contributes to the security Stannis feels, though he doubts he could ever find the words or the voice to bring this to the surface.

Davos shifts in his sleep, though his hand remains exactly where it was, resting over Stannis’s belly. It is hardly an impenetrable shield, yet in this moment Stannis feels as though it could and would fend off any attack on his life or, indeed, his happiness.

The babe shifts within him, then settles again, seemingly at peace with both their presence. Tomorrow is another day full of noise and action, another day when growing the child is just another duty for him to undertake alongside all the rest, but for this brief moment there is nothing else. Just Stannis, and Davos, and the tiny life that is half of them both.

In this quiet moment they are a family, untouched by the world outside the walls of the bedchamber, and there is surely no harm in enjoying that just for a little while. Stannis is not sure when he drifts off, but he knows he will wake up safe, he and the babe both.

Davos would never allow anything else.


End file.
